155: How Public Speaking Built My Businesses: Lessons and Mistakes

Public speaking has undoubtedly been one of the key factors in building 3 different businesses over the last 18 years.

You’ll hear the lessons and mistakes I learned, so you can use speaking effectively and strategically as part of your overall marketing strategy, whether you’re newer in your business or years in.

Why does public speaking work so well as an entrepreneur?

• Being a speaker gives you instant credibility and authority.
• Putting your message out there gives you invaluable feedback (real-time market research).
• It generates leads and clients and fast tracks the sales process.
• It grows your network and the number of people who know what you do.

If you’d like to make speaking and visibility a focus this year, we’d love to work with you in our Master Your Speaking program.

It’s a combination of one-on-one individual coaching where you work with us to create your signature talk in a Virtual VIP Day plus you get bi-weekly group calls for 3 months as you learn how to position, promote, and market yourself to get better speaking engagements, including paid ones.

We’re accepting applications now for the few spots we have left. (This is a small program - max 12 women.)

To learn more about Master Your Speaking and apply today (no credit card required), go to https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and leaders create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/155

ENROLLMENT IS CLOSING SOON! Apply for our Master Your Speaking coaching program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.

Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin/in/dianediaz

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 116: 16 Ways You Can Use Your Signature Talk
• Episode 132: 7 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Paid to Speak
• Episode 136: How to Use the Feedback Form for Higher Quality Lead Generation [Money Series]
• Episode 145: You Need to Create a Framework [Frameworks Series]

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable